The external stairways of houses are often decorative. The stairways include intricate pathways, utilize fancy materials in their construction, or include attractive lighting schemes and devices. Of the forms of stairway decoration, the use of lighting for the sake of decoration is currently the least prominent. Often stairways will emphasize purely functional devices, for example: simple metal posts bearing lanterns, or lighting instruments strategically affixed to the external stairway. The safety concerns of poorly lighted stairs are significant, but stairway lighting can be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional.
Different means of illuminating stairways have been developed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,756,323, for example, discloses a stairway with apertures formed between the riser and the tread. A single light source, or multiple light sources forming a single light source assembly, within an interior chamber of the stairway stretches from the base of the stairway to the apex of the stairway. Light from the light source is transmitted through the stairway chamber to a series of mirrors each positioned near one aperture. The mirrors accept the light transmitted from the light source, and reflect it downward through the aperture onto the top surface of each stair.
The '323 patent application presents a stairway designed exclusively for functional lighting purposes, without regard to aesthetics, ease of construction, delivery, repair, or replacement. This device relies on a single light source, or lengthy light source assembly, to illuminate all of the treads of a stairway. Accordingly, the light source would have to be customized to the exact dimensions of each stairwell for which it is intended to be used. The use of a single reflector within the staircase to deflect the light through the gap between the riser and tread creates an awkward reflection system that may effectively convey light throughout the invention at some points, but not others. In addition to the structural and mechanical awkwardness, the structure of the disclosure includes multiple safety concerns. And interestingly, it is the features of this device that promote safety that simultaneously pose the greatest safety concerns. The stairwell forms a large gap between the overhanging tread and riser. The existence of a protrusion on the overhanging tread creates an obstacle for a user's foot. The existence of the gap between the riser and tread poses a farther obstacle to the human foot, which may be caught therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 934,122 discloses a set of steps with multiple openings occupied by colored glass. Within the set of steps are multiple bulbs positioned on shelves proximate to the glass-covered openings. Contacts are located on the tread of the steps, which are in electrical communication with the bulbs, and as pressure is placed on a step, the bulb near that step illuminates.
In contrast to the teachings of the '323 patent, the '122 patent discloses a device that is purely aesthetic. While the glass-covered openings on each step may possess certain decorative qualities, those decorative qualities are related to displaying the ornamentation of the glass within the opening rather than simply the light—or allowing the light access to the exterior of the stairwell in a meaningful fashion. The electric light lamps rest upon shelves permanently affixed to interior sides of the stairway. A stairway built according to this disclosure would require custom construction and have very limited uses.
Therefore, there is a need for an invention that can effectively illuminate each step of a stairway, is inexpensive, allows modularity, allows installation on pre-existing stairways, allows the visual effects of light to be cleanly displayed to a viewer, that can effectively present the visual display of light, and allows simple installation.